Elevate – Brain Training
An app that could make you even smarter
Free (subscription required) From Elevate Labs, elevateapp.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 10.0 or later
Although video games were a staple of my youth, I have little interest in them as an adult. Most are overly complicated compared to the classics, and cause family stress as kids hound parents for virtual currency to feed their latest addiction.
While not technically a video game, Elevate is the cure for those suffering from Fortnite fatigue. Using playful graphics and a barrage of brain games, this app challenges players to hone their skills and become a better, more intelligent person every time they use it.
Every day, Elevate presents a handful of mental workouts designed to sharpen your mind. Exercises are tailored to the user, based upon your answers to a pre-signup introductory quiz. The app was smart enough to identify strengths at reading and writing, and picked up that math is our Kryptonite.
The app is comprised of more than 35 games, each carefully designed to tickle a particular cognitive skill like comprehension, precision, memory, and focus. Aside from five daily challenges, players can bone up with individual writing, speaking, reading, or math activities.
Like most games, you unlock achievements as you go, and Elevate ranks activity and scores as motivation to keep going. There are also study materials to stay sharp in between, but you’ll need to complete five training sessions before they’re unlocked.
Graphics and sound are impressive, helping to keep you engaged. The app is responsive overall, even when action becomes fast-paced. Despite being rated 4+, Elevate is best suited for teens and up, since most games assume players have a strong grasp of English grammar and vocabulary.
On the flip side, many user interface typefaces lack contrast or are occasionally too small for those with less than perfect vision; thankfully, text in games is big and bold. It’s worth noting Elevate moves at an increasingly fast pace – when you get an answer wrong, the app moves on, rather than pausing for a teachable moment. The app is free to download but requires a pricy $39.99 annual subscription; fair warning, the 14-day trial is enough to get you hooked! the bottom line. Games that are actually good for your brain.